Accordingly, we have shown that, although DRE treatment triggered cell death in all cell models examined and led to the activation and localization of active caspase-8 to the mitochondria and the peri-nuclear space, this caspase-8 activation was not essential for the induction of cell death in colon cancer cells as an inhibition of caspase-8 activation did not alter the cytotoxicity of DRE. The gene discussed is CASP8; the disease is malignant colon neoplasm.